By Ron Potter
Chapter 5: Occlumency Lessons
POV = Harry
"Harry I need to speak with you," Bill said after defense against the dark arts one day pulling me into his office.
"What about?" I asked.
"It's on orders of Dumbledore," Bill replied. "He says I should teach you Occlumency...the art of blocking the mind away from darkness and blocking minor hexes."
"But why?" I asked curiously wondering why I needed to close my mind from darkness.
"Because You-Know-Who can go into your mind and make you do horrible things," Bill replied. "He did it last summer with his plans. He made sure you'd know that so that the Potter kids would come together to Godric's Hollow, he had a death eater waiting for you. Dumbledore was a little late in getting this but luckily no death eater was anywhere near Godric's hollow thanks to Kingsley Shacklebolt and Remus Lupin…. fights like a true hero those wizards. You see You-Know-Who could break into your mind and place false images and even make you remember things differently."
"So those were fake plans?" I asked. "Mrs. Krum was right?"
Bill looked uneasily then dropped his voice, "The Order is still unsure but Tonks and I believe it wasn't fake that it was real. Besides the Krum's aren't always a reliable source but are useful considering the fact that they are pureblood maniacs."
I stared around the room looking at the things he's put in his classroom then nodded so he knew I understood and trotted back to the common room to meet up with Ron and Hermione.
When I arrived back at the Common Room Hermione was practically sewn into her books where as Ron and Neville were glad to get away.
"Let's go see Charlie down on the grounds!" Ron exclaimed wanting an excuse to get away.
"Good idea," I replied as the three of us moved out into the deserted corridors into the entrance hall.
Neville pushed open the big oak doors and as he did, Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour walked in hand and hand. Ron opened his mouth but all his words were drained away by Fleur's constant giggling. As Bill went by he mouthed the words 'Tomorrow night, my office.' and then continued down the dungeons passage. Then the three of us made it out to the dusky lawns where only a few students were standing around and a light was on in Hagrid's Cabin. So we rushed over to the cabin to see if Hagrid had came back yet but when we arrived, it was only Charlie looking down at us from the window and emerging into the dusky grounds.
"What are you three doing here?" Charlie asked.
"Just came for a little visit," I replied. "Hagrid always used to let us come down for a cup of tea."
"Look I'm doing some very important business right now and can't be disturbed," Charlie said closing the door behind them.
We pressed our ears against the door as if to listen in but only that could be heard were two men arguing over something about the weapon. But we heard no more and headed back down the lawns to the Common Room depressed that we couldn't hear what's going on or get away from homework.
"All right Harry be on alert at all times," Bill Weasley said at his first Occlumency lesson raising his wand at me. "Legilimens!"
I felt a great surge sweep through me, as all my memories were being unlocked and stampeding out of my head. Voldemort coming…. On the sorting hat…. Destroying the Sorcerer's Stone…. Destroying the basilisk and Riddle with dad…. Dad reviving Ginny…. Pettigrew sprinting back before my eyes…. Saving Pettigrew's life from dad and Sirius…. Being picked for the tournament…. then it whirled back into place. I found myself sobbing on the floor cold as ice and feeling like I was just struck by a dementor. I felt a hand pull me up to my feet and as my vision blurred into focus it became clearer who it was...Dumbledore and Bill Weasley.
"How long was I out for?" I asked wiping my glasses on my robes.
"Nearly a half hour," Bill Weasley said looking horror struck. "I'm so sorry Harry. I didn't mean to make you out cold for a half hour. I thought you've looked in the library or Hermione's told you how to work Occlumency."
"You see Harry," Dumbledore started, "Occlumency is like putting up a strong shield in your mind emptied of all emotion and feelings in you. That shield is to keep you safe from mind trespassers. You do that by keeping your mind firmly locked when you sleep and emptied of every tiny shred of emotion."
"You're a special wizard Harry," Bill Weasley said twirling his wand. "We all know that. So you could definitely put up a shield to sleep off legilimency only if you believe you're a powerful wizard, which you really are."
"I'll try but it's hard when someone unlocks your entire mind," I replied surveying the room and noticing Dumbledore had left.
"Now let's try it again," Bill said aiming his wand at me. "Legili-"
But before I could hear Bill finish, I was whirling away in time and space. I just whirled aimlessly through until I fell meeting Dumbledore. He held a hand lifting me up so we're almost at eye level (and I'm a several feet off the ground).
"Hello," I said hearing my own echo. "Is anybody here?"
"Yes Mister Potter," the pleasant voice of Dumbledore called. Dumbledore finally came into focus from a red window.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"This is wizard space," Dumbledore said. "It is much like the muggle dream world...well it is the muggle dream dimension. This is only one part of Wizard Space. We can communicate with the ones we've lost here and in some extremely rare cases change how the world works. For example this is what some muggles use in their dreams to conquer or fail. But only seers, oracles, spirits, and legilimency artists can transport here with another individual. Which is why I brought you here. You have been brought here to make a deciding fate for the Wizarding World: Gryffindor wins, Slytherin wins, tie, or No Gryffindor– Slytherin War. Gryffindor winning is number one, Slytherin winning is number two, a tie is number three, and No war is number four."
I had to decide quick because I felt my legs tremble as I was going down that means I don't have a whole lot of time left. I thought quickly of choosing the four window but I didn't instead I did what I was told to do for Occlumency because this was the work of legilimency. Then Gryffindor's sword appeared to me as I jabbed it through Dumbledore's chest. Dumbledore aged rapidly turning slowly into Salazar Slytherin and as he died off he spoke the words 'my torch can't kill me! I cannot kill myself! Silly Mortal! I still exist but in another portion here! I swear we shall meet again in this place!' Then as Slytherin died off I was fading out of this world back to reality where Bill, Dumbledore, and McGonnagall were standing.
"Potter, are you alright?" McGonnagall asked crouching down to eye level.
"Yeah I'm fine," I lied slowly getting up and regaining strength.
"You passed out again Harry," Bill said looking even more horrorstruck. "But it wasn't the legilimency because I didn't even finish the spell yet when you crashed to the ground."
"Harry, where did you go? Where were taken in by legilimency?" Dumbledore asked.
"It was some place called Wizard Space," I answered. "Salazar Slytherin was there and he gave me a choice with the Gryffindor-Slytherin War."
"What did you choose Harry?" Dumbledore asked calmly and curiously.
"I didn't choose any," I replied. "I just used what you guys taught me about Occlumency…. I set up a dream shield, which made the Gryffindor sword appear so I could kill off Salazar Slytherin in your form Dumbledore."
"Fascinating how the Gryffindor sword works in the hands of the Slytherin torch," Bill said with looks of hatred from McGonnagall.
"Shut up Mr. Weasley!" McGonnagall shouted before raising her wand to me. "Obliviate!"
Suddenly I felt like something strong has just been erased from my life. It was like my mind was a giant chalkboard and professor McGonnagall wiped off a whole half of it. I tried seeing what was last written in that space but it was completely blank. I looked around and once again Bill Weasley was standing there twirling his wand in between his fingers.
"I think you've done an excellent job tonight on Occlumency Harry," he said politely. "You've mastered the best legilimens artist, Salazar Slytherin's legilimency work."